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Giant Hornets Kill Dozens in China

SHANGHAI — Swarms of giant hornets have killed 42 people in Shaanxi Province and injured more than 1,600 in recent months, according to Xinhua, the official news agency. Government officials have yet to figure out why their attacks have been so widespread and deadly.

Photo

A dead hornet in Shaanxi Province, where swarms of giant hornets have killed 42 people in recent months.Credit
Reuters

Officials said on Thursday that 206 people were being treated in hospitals in Shaanxi Province and that emergency response teams were working to locate and destroy the nests of Asian giant hornets, the species involved in the attacks. Their venom is highly toxic and can cause shock and renal failure, experts say.

Hornet attacks have been reported elsewhere in China as well. Last month, a swarm attacked a primary school in the Guangxi Autonomous Region in southern China, injuring 30 people, including 23 children. But the most serious attacks, according to the state-run news media, have taken place in rural areas near Ankang City, in the southeastern part of Shaanxi Province.

The brown and gold Asian giant, or Vespa mandarinia, is the world’s largest hornet species. It can grow up to two inches long, and its stinger can extend nearly one-quarter of an inch.

A version of this article appears in print on October 4, 2013, on Page A11 of the New York edition with the headline: Giant Hornets Kill Dozens in China. Order Reprints|Today's Paper|Subscribe